[M II A II R II K]

How bike parking pods could make US cities better for cyclists

https://www.technologyreview.com/202...-pods-cyclists

.....

- In 2015, Brooklyn resident Shabazz Stuart regularly biked to his job at a local business improvement district. Then his bicycle was stolen, the third case of two-wheeled larceny he’d experienced in five years. The theft sent him back to mass transit while he saved up money to buy a replacement. It also put him on a new career path. — Stuart and cofounder J. Manuel Mansyll developed a kit that can make modular parking “pods” to store anywhere from eight to 80 bicycles or scooters in a spot that’s protected from rain and theft. Each pod is operated with a smart access system that can be controlled with a keycard or a smartphone. The units are outfitted with security cameras, and insurance against theft is provided for users. Membership is free.

- New York City began investing in bike lanes under the mayorship of Michael Bloomberg in the early 2000s, hoping to increase the proportion of people traveling by bike, but the question of where to put all those vehicles was never adequately addressed. As he built Oonee, Stuart looked at New York’s practices with a newly skeptical eye. — In other wealthy nations, he learned in his own research, many governments invest in cycling infrastructure much more comprehensively than even the most progressive US cities. If local policymakers weren’t addressing cyclists’ vulnerability to theft and the elements, how serious were they about encouraging bike transport? — “You cannot have a conversation about land use, outdoor dining, open streets, pedestrian plazas, bus lanes, without talking about car parking,” says Stuart. “It’s incredible to think we can have a serious conversation about biking as transportation without talking about bike parking.”

.....